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A flight out of Portland had to return to the airport yesterday after a man started puffing on an e-cigarette shortly after takeoff and refused to stop. He was escorted off the plane at Portland International Airport and may face federal charges, reports OregonLive.com. (It's not clear what those charges might be.) E-cigs do not give off smoke but rather a vapor from a liquid nicotine solution. This nuance did not win over the flight staff, which accused the passenger of disobeying the "no-smoking" sign.

While federal law prohibits smoking on commercial planes, it does not address the relatively new e-cigs, which are gaining popularity as a tobacco-less alternative to smoking. The Department of Transportation has signaled it might ban them as early as this spring. Continental Airlines, which operated the flight, already has an explicit ban on them, notes MSNBC.

To those who don't find this stupid, need to go suck on a muffler, and get another whiff of that "fresh air," being recycled in the plane's cabin. You kick off or ban someone from using, or blowing, water vapor?

MDD

Feb 23, 2012 6:43 AM CST

Just another Fun Loving out of control Muslim. Read the whole story..... http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/smoking-saudi-flyer-busted-985612

brucke

Feb 23, 2012 6:16 AM CST

There is a difference between the spirit of the law and the letter of it. The airport officials do not have the intelligence to understand that.